Theoretical giant asteroid 65 million years ago, questions?

Question

So scientists say that 65 million years ago, a giant asteroid 10 kilometers across struck just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Have we found pieces of this theoretical giant asteroid, or would have been obliterated on impact?

With such a force of impact, would it have thrown the Earth into our current orbit and maybe alter the tilt of the Earth? If so what kind of orbit did the Earth previously have, and would it have had a different climate?

Answer 1

Yes, we've found a layer of iridium (which doesn't occur naturally on Earth) which indicates that an asteroid hit about that time.

A 6-mile wide asteroid makes a hell of a ding, but when you compare it to the Earth's 8000 mile diameter, no - the effect on it's orbit was negligible.

What *did* alter Earth's rotation & orbit was the Nemisis impact early in Earth's formation - we got hit with a roughly Mars-size object, and the impact from that formed the moon and gave the Earth it's 23 1/2 degree tilt.

Answer 2

even an asteroid (or comet) 10 kilometers across is small compared to the Earth, it would have affected the orbit or tilt very little, scientists figure that the tilt might have been caused by a much larger impact an even longer time ago.

they haven't found any pieces of the meteorite, odds are they would have weathered away a long time ago, and even if we did find one it would be hard to link it to that impact. there is a lot more iridium all over the world though due to that impact.

Earth did have a slightly different climate back then, it was warmer and there was more oxygen in the atmosphere. the impact would have made it colder for a while from a nuclear winter effect, but it shouldn't have changed the climate permanently.

Answer 3

Ask the dinosaurs. They were there. Maybe they took measurements.

A six-mile asteroid could very well have rung Earth's bell and raised dust and debris enough to cause winter climates to kill off the larger surface dwellers. However, it's debatable whether the kinetic energy would have affected the Earth to a magnitude anywhere close to what you describe.

The evidence is the K-T boundary layer of Iridium, uncommon on Earth, but common to space-borne objects like asteroids. The next closest evidence is the sediments of the Demerara Rise, some 3,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean. The debris is consistent with a deformation pattern which would have been consistent with the impact.

But the asteroid would have hit the Earth like a B-B hitting a tub of Jell-o, except that the asteroid probably would have been pulverized by the impact. Remember that Earth's crust layer is only about 15 miles thick. After that, the Earth's mantle is fluid enough to soften the tiny blow.

Answer 4

No pieces have been found, but there is a world wide layer of dust in 65 million year old sedimentary rocks that is associated with the impact.

No significant change to the Earth's orbit or rotation could have resulted from an asteroid that is only 10 kilometers across. That is just too small to have such an effect.

Answer 5

The Chixelub meteor has had fragments recovered. After it's impact, it effectively vaporised, but tiny iridium rich spherical fragments of meteor and impact site can be found in the "KT" layer of debris as far away as Montana. These are pretty much all that's left of the meteor.
Pretty much the only effect was to create a "Nuclear winter" where a debris cloud would have obscured the sun for a period of time. Falling ash would have smothered the vegetation, starving the plant eating herbivores. The carnivorous dinosaurs would have lived off the carcasses of the dead herbivores for a month or two (maximum) before they too starved. Falling ash also would have entered the dinosaurs lungs when they breathed and the fine ash would have stripped the lining of their lungs, causing many to drown in their own blood. But the earth would not have moved noticeably

Answer 6

Science has proven that the earth use to have a tropical climate. This could only be achieved if their was a layer of water surround the earth somewhere in the atmosphere. In order for it to be truly tropical, their would also have to have been a layer of water just beneath the earth's crust.
Scientists are increasingly investigating the theory that when the asteroid hit or glanced the earth it caused all of the water in the atmosphere to fall to the surface and almost all of the water beneath the surface to gush up with explosive force creating a global flood. This theory explains not only the ancient global tropical atmosphere but also the various layers in the earth's crust as well as the many eroded features of the earth's surface. It also explains the drastic change in the earth's climate and the drastic temperature changes that instantly froze some mammoths found in Antarctica.

Answer 7

First of all, a 10 km. sized asateroid is not a "giant asteroid". That size is small for an asteroid. Yes material from that asteroid has been found all over the earth. It is the element iridium.

Answer 8

The only evidence is in dust particles deposited around the earth, no chunks of rock remain.

It did not disturb the orbit of the earth since it is significantly larger than the mass of the asteroid. (earth is about 400,000 times larger) So consider the deflection of you when a flea jumps at tremendous velecity onto you. Trust me, it isnt much.

Answer 9

it definitely would have had a deferent climate and tilt, however such calculations would be impossible without knowing the exact chap and size of the asteroid (1/4th of a kilometer would throw calculations off) no they haven't found the asteroid, but there has been very thick layers of iridium rich soil. iridium is not common in the earths crust, but is often found in high amounts in asteroids and comets. the iridium layer is thickest near the suspected site of impact. we have not yet found the asteroid, but i would expect that it would be annihilated on impact